30 flood insurance claims·$93,717 paid·2 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Garfield County, Colorado. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
Flash flooding and summer thunderstorms dominate the flood risk profile in Garfield County, Colorado. Over the past 30 years, NOAA records show 42 flash flood events resulting in 1 death, alongside 21 general flood events causing 1 additional death.
Recent events illustrate these hazards. In August 2023, slow-moving thunderstorms driven by monsoon moisture and the remnants of Tropical Storm Harold produced heavy rain, flash flooding, and debris flows across the county. Earlier in the season, in May 2023, accelerated snowmelt from a near-record snowpack generated high and fast flows that compromised low-lying recreational trails.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates varying impacts across zones. Properties in high-risk Zone A experienced the highest frequency and severity, recording 12 claims with an average payout of $10,617 and an average recorded water depth of 10 inches. Meanwhile, unshaded and shaded Zone X properties recorded lower impacts, averaging payouts between $2,421 and $6,789 with average water depths of 1 to 3 inches. Homeowners in Zone A and low-lying areas near drainages should pay the closest attention to flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
54% of Garfield County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
26 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 5 inches.
Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.
Average of the depths reported on claims (zero and implausible values left out); FEMA’s record doesn’t say exactly where each depth was measured. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
The worst year was 1981, with 7 claims and $26,398 paid.
Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.
14 NOAA storm reports from Garfield County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Colorado flood stories →
12 federal disaster declarations since 1977, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Pine Gulch Fire | Aug 19, 2020 |
| Grizzly Creek Fire | Aug 13, 2020 |
| Newcastle Fire | Jun 19, 2007 |
| Red Apple Fire | Aug 31, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Co - Panorama Fire - 07/31/02 | Jul 31, 2002 |
| Coal Seam Fire | Jun 8, 2002 |
| Wildfires | Apr 23, 2002 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
63 since 1996: 42 flash floods and 21 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Aug 24, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Aug 24, 2023 | $5,000 |
| Flood | May 21, 2023 | — · 1 killed |
| Flood | May 21, 2023 | $500 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 1, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 23, 2021 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 22, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Jul 11, 2019 | $5,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Aug 24, 2023. Remnants from Tropical Storm Harold lifted across the Desert Southwest. This, combined with already abundant subtropical moisture, resulted in widespread showers and thunderstorms across western Colorado. Storms were slow moving and produced heavy rain. As a result of the heavy rain, some flooding and debris flows occurred in portions of Gunnison, Garfield, Mesa, and Montezuma counties.
Flood · May 21, 2023. Accelerated snowmelt from a near-record snowpack due to above normal temperatures produced high and fast flow on the Colorado River. One such area was Glenwood Canyon, where an individual drowned in a rafting accident.
Flash Flood · Aug 1, 2023. Abundant monsoon moisture remained across Western Colorado. This led to another round of showers and thunderstorms across much of the region. Storms were slow moving and produced heavy rain. As a result of the heavy rain, some flash flooding and debris flows occurred in both Garfield and Eagle counties. Additionally, some stronger storms produced large hail up to an estimated inch in diameter near Carbondale.
Flash Flood · Jul 23, 2021. Abundant monsoon moisture remained in place across the Western Slope. As a result, another round of widespread showers and thunderstorms developed across the area with many storms producing heavy rain. This led to several reports of flash flooding and debris flows across portions of west-central and southwest Colorado.
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Garfield County is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.